Premack Principle

The Premack Principle is an operant conditioning principle that originated in David Premack's research with animals. According to Premack's (1965) principle, a behavior that has a higher probability of occurring may be used as a reinforcer for a behavior that has a lower probability of occurring. To increase the occurrence of a less preferred activity, a more preferred behavior should be made contingent upon the occurrence of the less-preferred, low-frequency behavior.

Several researchers replicating Premack's findings have conducted studies with both animals and humans to provide evidence supporting the Premack Principle. For example, Allen and Iwata (1980) were able to increase exercising behavior among a group of individuals with developmental disabilities by making time for playing games (high-probability behavior) contingent upon engaging in exercise (low-probability behavior). In another study, Geiger (1996), demonstrated the effectiveness of the Premack principle in middle school classrooms. By making recess, a highprobability behavior that children willingly engage in, dependent upon the demonstration of appropriate classroom behavior and completion of work in the classroom (low-probability behaviors), appropriate behavior and work completion increased.